True Blood Season 6 Post-Mortem (Because Vampires Love Word Play)

We survived another season of the madcap supernaturals-in-the-South series True Blood. There was a time when I proclaimed if the show didn’t provide certain things I’d call it quits (mostly those requests were about Sookie and Eric having a real romance in Season 4).

I make similar proclamations each year and every June I’m sucked back into the world of Sookie Stackhouse. This year, though, the season stretched from its source material—the novels penned by Charlaine Harris. While I’m a big fan of the books, this mostly made the season better.

Instead of trying to meet reader expectations, the show did its best to do justice to the characters. True Blood’s season 6 was still full of WTFery, but it didn’t spiral into “what were they thinking” territory until the very last episode.

Badass Sookie. Maybe badass is a stretch, but for the first time Sookie took control of her own life this season. She still made some bad calls, but we all do. Instead of falling blindly for Warlow from the get-go she threatens to kill him. We often label Sookie as a TSTL character. This season she broke that mold, and I was happy to see it.

Warlow. Speaking of the sneaky fae-vampire hybrid can we just say he’s a good addition? The character wasn’t from the books, and I had no idea where the storyline would take us. Better yet, even knowing he was probably going to turn out to be a dick, I started 'shipping Warlow and Sookie. It may have helped that he was shirtless a lot and those abs and pecs were damn impressive, but still I kept swooning when he talked about soul mates and destiny.

True Blood has always given us the guys we know aren’t the best choices, but who we can’t help but fall for. Warlow lives up to that standard. Also, he gets what’s coming to him.

Full-frontal Skarsgard. Anyone who has read my True Blood recaps over the last few years knows I have a thing for both a certain Swede and the fictional Viking vampire he plays. So, you know, he was naked. Like all the way naked this season. Am I saying I’m planning a vacation to Sweden in the hopes of running into him nude on a mountain top? No…

Also, I’m leaving this in the good category because I hear despite the flames Skarsgard will be a series regular next year, too.

Eric and Nora. Eric’s relationship with his vampire sister Nora has been a thread that broke my heart. Oddly their interactions were what humanized them the most. Their story arc this season was one of the most honest I’ve seen on the show. Beautifully emotional.

Terry’s funeral. Speaking of deaths, Terry’s funeral was one of the best I’ve seen on television. Yes, it was moving, but more than that it made me understand Terry’s importance to the show. I’d never been particularly invested in his story, but that episode made viewers grieve for him and want to hug Arlene. It made us proud of Andy and Sookie. Well done.

THE BAD

While we may love True Blood that doesn’t mean there aren’t times we’re shaking our heads wondering, “Why?” Let’s take the top three from Season 6.

That ending. We have to start with the most egregious of the bad choices this season, which is obviously that awful time jump in the final episode. It felt like the season wrapped up in the first half of the episode and they were stuck with thirty minutes to fill.

More than that, though, they made huge changes to the plot in that fast-forward bit. I’ve always accepted True Blood was its own thing separate from the Sookie Stackhouse novels, but I liked that the characters were mostly intact. Just about everything in that ending made me irrationally angry. Arlene owning the bar and changing the name? Sam as the mayor? Sam as a proponent of working with vampires? Alcide and Sookie legit together (with no sex scene)?

Maybe they’ll make it work in the final season, but the whole thing left one seriously sour taste in my mouth.

Alcide the A-Hole. One of the best things about Alcide’s character is he does the right thing. He’s the good guy. The one who always wants to save the damsel and protect his people. Only this season he became the ultimate packmaster douchebag and had no problem kidnapping a little girl. The change wasn’t explained well enough for me to buy. (I know they meant it to be tied to being packmaster, but it didn’t work for me.)

Plus, he was magically back to being cool with everyone in Bon Temps afterward. Again: Not buying it.

Billith. I’m glad this thread is over, but I swear if I had to endure more of Bill having more power than a not-that-old vampire should have or had to see those naked, bloody ladies again I was going to lose it. Crazypants Bill with visions didn’t do a thing for me. How about you?

What about you H&H readers? Which parts did you love the most? Hate? Do you hope the series will magically follow the awesome seventh Sookie book and give us a vampire summit (doubtful) or do you have some other theme you’d like to see played out in the show's final ten episodes?

While Chelsea Mueller runs Vampire Book Club, she won’t turn down a sexy werewolf, demon or faerie. Her appreciation of Alexander Skarsgard is well documented. Bother her on Twitter — @ChelseaVBC — she likes it.

@MFrampton - I don't think they can end the same way the books did. They haven't gone nearly as far in the storyline, but more importantly, they had (highlight for spoiler) Sam married and having a baby in the show. So, hard to see him ditching her and getting with Sookie.

@redline_ - Honestly, I think we could have wrapped up with Terry's funeral. I have no idea where they'll go with this. I had always hoped to see a version of the vampire summit from All Together Dead, but that's doubtful. Honestly, the ending of this season's finale threw me for a big loop.

Oh, good! Yeah, it wasn't popping up so better safe than sorry (though I feel that a lot of people already know how it ends. Anyhoodles, happy to help, Chelsea!

In a non-H&H related/housecleaning matter, I love this post! And totally agree that the ending, the general presence of Billith (which I thought would be cool but then quickly fell flat), and Alcide the AHole, were all the worst of the worst of the season but ASkars nekkid may have made up for that...

Warlow was in a short story but he was nothing like the character on True Blood. He was an old vamp that worked for the Queen of Lousianna and killed Sookie's cousin Hadley (she was a vamp in the short story). I liked his addition.

Over all I liked this season more than last season. But I'm ready for the show to be over. I wasn't going to watch next season but since it's the last I'll stick it out to the end (unlike I did with the books) to see how they end it.

Oh and one thing I didn't like about the finale for this season was that we didn't get to see Sookie and Alcide become a couple. I wanted naked Alcide. LOL

Well, I liked when it was revealed that Ben is Warlow- when he changed accent,making him fall for Sookie, talking about soul mates- it brought layers to his characters. But at end they seem to kill him pretty easy. I don't know, I expected for him to be more of a chalenge.

My favorite thing was Jason. He is famous for his lines, but this season he really stole the show. Oh, and let's not forget his shaving moment with Warlow and the fact the he drank from Eric (Oh, how I wish we get to see that dream!!!!).
@Chelsea- Oh, I am with you on Bilith. If I never see another bloody-bush girl, it will be soon.